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Well the GNP album has the virtue of including some of the original scores that Schifrin did - there isn't really that much but what there is really is good stuff. The other half of the album is the synth music that John Davis did for the remake in the 80's and it's ok but pales a bit compared to the Schifrin tracks - at least for my tastes.
The only other Schifrin 'MI' CD that I have is the MISSION:ANTHOLOGY. Its all 're-recordings' (I'm not sure how much of it ever appeared in the show, I suspect hardly anything) but it sounds great. They're not the original soundtracks but they're great jazz pieces anyway.
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Also, this is one of the few CD releases of a 1960's score that if anything, improves on the recording quality. In a time when so many CDs of 1960's scores sound worse than the original vinyl, that's kind of amazing.
Are these CDs that expensive? Why not get'em both and decide for yourself?
I agree - the MISSION:ANTHOLOGY CD sounds fantastic - the recording brings out all those fabulous jazz soloists; you could almost be in the studio with them. The quality of the recording - which passed to the CD - belies the year that they were recorded.
Bearing in mind that a CD of MISSION scores is a fairly remote prospect, I think the GNP is a must-have too (at least for the Schifrin material).
It's been a long time since I saw M:I (I suppose I ought to get some of the DVDs), so I'm pleased to hear that the material from M:A did actually air in the series (although presumably the arrangements differed considerably?)
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Well the GNP album has the virtue of including some of the original scores that Schifrin did - there isn't really that much but what there is really is good stuff. The other half of the album is the synth music that John Davis did for the remake in the 80's and it's ok but pales a bit compared to the Schifrin tracks - at least for my tastes.
The only other Schifrin 'MI' CD that I have is the MISSION:ANTHOLOGY. Its all 're-recordings' (I'm not sure how much of it ever appeared in the show, I suspect hardly anything) but it sounds great. They're not the original soundtracks but they're great jazz pieces anyway.
I concur.
Let me add this:
The sound quality of the GNP CD is poor and flat but at least, these are the original recordings heard on the series. Actually, it is a sampler, a selection of cues from original recordings.
The GNP contains only a selection of 5 recordings out of 13.
The original recordings that are the most complete are "The Contender" (5 cues) and "The Killer" (3 cues). "Submarine" is under represented with 2 cues that conclude the episode and the GNP editor gets rid of the Eastern Europe military substance of the score. Same thing with "Takeover" and "Underground" which don't reflect the spirit of the episode.
As for the 1967/1968 albums that Schifrin produced and re-arranged for the mainstream market with a pop and easy listening leaning in mind, they were melody-laden, with a good sound quality and some of the tracks were used on the original series but with different arrangements:
1. "Cinnamon theme" used during season 1 ("The Short Tail Spy"), 3, 4
2. "Operation Charm" used during season 4
3. "Mission Blues" used in the season 4 "The Martyr"
The irony is that Schifrin used to conceiv his MISSION's scores as abstract and modernist paramilitary work of art and the mainstream albums were on the opposite side, meaning with a strong sense of melody.
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Well the GNP album has the virtue of including some of the original scores that Schifrin did - there isn't really that much but what there is really is good stuff. The other half of the album is the synth music that John Davis did for the remake in the 80's and it's ok but pales a bit compared to the Schifrin tracks - at least for my tastes.
The only other Schifrin 'MI' CD that I have is the MISSION:ANTHOLOGY. Its all 're-recordings' (I'm not sure how much of it ever appeared in the show, I suspect hardly anything) but it sounds great. They're not the original soundtracks but they're great jazz pieces anyway.
I concur.
Let me add this:
The sound quality of the GNP CD is poor and flat but at least, these are the original recordings heard on the series. Actually, it is a sampler, a selection of cues from original recordings.
The GNP contains only a selection of 5 recordings out of 13.
The original recordings that are the most complete are "The Contender" (5 cues) and "The Killer" (3 cues). "Submarine" is under represented with 2 cues that conclude the episode and the GNP editor gets rid of the Eastern Europe military substance of the score. Same thing with "Takeover" and "Underground" which don't reflect the spirit of the episode.
As for the 1967/1968 albums that Schifrin produced and re-arranged for the mainstream market with a pop and easy listening leaning in mind, they were melody-laden, with a good sound quality and some of the tracks were used on the original series but with different arrangements:
1. "Cinnamon theme" used during season 1 ("The Short Tail Spy"), 3, 4
2. "Operation Charm" used during season 4
3. "Mission Blues" used in the season 4 "The Martyr"
The irony is that Schifrin used to conceiv his MISSION's scores as abstract and modernist paramilitary work of art and the mainstream albums were on the opposite side, meaning with a strong sense of melody.
It's a damn shame that GNP hasn't released the whole recordings back in 1992 because they had a deal with Paramount.
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For me it has always been:
Mission Impossible by Danny Elfman
That rich sound of the whole orchestra beats any previous and follow up recordings!
And there is a little coda with the bass.
This is a score I couldn't get into at all when it first appeared, but the more I have listened to it over the years, the more I appreciate it. I certainly think it's the best of the feature film scores.
Stefan mentioned 'abstract modernist and paramilitary' in his assessment of Schifrin's original M:I scores and I know exactly what he means. I really do think that Elfman understood this entirely and came up with his own slant on those elements - the various rhythms (bongos!) and layers took precedence over melody maybe, but it's still a score that is satisfying over time.
Zimmer's score was just all wrong (for me anyway) while Michael Giacchino's was just too....busy and dense, I suppose.
Stefan?
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I was also thinking about getting the DVD sets - the sound is remastered in 5.1 - any comments on the quality of these DVD season sets?
I own the first four sets that are available.
The sound quality is really good. The original mono mix is superb. Watch and listen outloud the season 4 "Submarine": a great audio-visual experience!
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For me it has always been:
Mission Impossible by Danny Elfman
That rich sound of the whole orchestra beats any previous and follow up recordings!
And there is a little coda with the bass.
This is a score I couldn't get into at all when it first appeared, but the more I have listened to it over the years, the more I appreciate it. I certainly think it's the best of the feature film scores.
Stefan mentioned 'abstract modernist and paramilitary' in his assessment of Schifrin's original M:I scores and I know exactly what he means. I really do think that Elfman understood this entirely and came up with his own slant on those elements - the various rhythms (bongos!) and layers took precedence over melody maybe, but it's still a score that is satisfying over time.
Zimmer's score was just all wrong (for me anyway) while Michael Giacchino's was just too....busy and dense, I suppose.
Stefan?
To tell you the truth, I don't own the scores from Tom Cruise's MISSION films.
But to come back to my musical assement of Schifrin's method on the original 1966 MISSION scores, the original recordings were never released back in 1967 because it was not "mainstream" enough and rather too rough, dry, abstract, atonal in some ways. The people in the music department at CBS couldn't understand this music and Lalo had difficulties to find composers to hire for the other scores. Only Jerry Fielding perfectly fitted the demand for a timepiece musical firework.
The first season under Schifrin was inspired by WWII military music, just watch "Memory" which was like a commando operating under German lines.
The paramilitary motif known as "The Plot" is re-arranged during all the series.
Back in 1966, Schifrin composed three scores the same year with a strong paramilitary leanings:
"Jericho" score "Upbeat and Underground"
"Blue Light"
"Mission: Impossible"
I advise you to watch this clip from a feature film version of "Blue Light" entitled "I Deal in Danger":
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SFGPglSRvBA
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To tell you the truth, I don't own the scores from Tom Cruise's MISSION films.
But to come back to my musical assement of Schifrin's method on the original 1966 MISSION scores.....
You probably don't regard Cruise's M:I as canon, as indeed I don't either. But I suppose they were made for audiences in different times.
Why don't you try Elfman's M:I score? I think there is something of Schifrin's original 'feel' in his music - and I think you might like Elfman's approach.
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Yes, I have to agree that Elfman's take on Mission: Impossible is a lot of fun, and a very respectful homage to Schifrin's work for the original series. If you like Schifrin's Mission: Impossible music, you might enjoy Elfman's.
I have both the GNP release and Mission: Anthology, both of which I enjoy very much. I would love to hear some more of the original scores from the series, but alas, this is Paramount...
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Yes, I have to agree that Elfman's take on Mission: Impossible is a lot of fun, and a very respectful homage to Schifrin's work for the original series. If you like Schifrin's Mission: Impossible music, you might enjoy Elfman's.
I have both the GNP release and Mission: Anthology, both of which I enjoy very much. I would love to hear some more of the original scores from the series, but alas, this is Paramount...
Paramount, it is the big mess. They don't know where their master tapes are located... Ask Lalo.
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